Bandgap circuits are used in many different types of applications. For example, a bandgap circuit is often used to generate a reference voltage provided to other components in a circuit. A reference voltage produced by a bandgap circuit typically suffers from a finite amount of temperature dependence commonly known as “drift.” This drift often appears as zero-order, first-order, and/or second-order or other higher-order temperature coefficients in the reference voltage. The second-order and other higher-order temperature coefficients usually cause curvature in the reference voltage as a function of temperature.
High-precision bandgap circuits often include additional circuitry to reduce curvature of the reference voltages, often referred to as “curvature compensation.” For example, a correction current may be injected into a core of a bandgap circuit. This typically results in a reduction in the curvature of the reference voltage. However, this approach typically increases the complexity, power consumption, and size of the bandgap circuits. Also, conventional curvature compensation techniques typically affect the zero-order and first-order temperature coefficients as well as the intended higher-order temperature coefficients. Curvature compensation techniques that have a strong effect on the zero-order and first-order temperature coefficients are problematic because it becomes more difficult to achieve accurate zero-order and minimized first-order and second-order temperature coefficients at the same time.